<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;" align="center">Senate leaders have agreed on a budget deal with a $400 million boost to defense spending.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">But, time is running out to get the bill passed in Congress. Lawmakers only have until midnight tonight to pass the budget agreement. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> ;</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">&#8220;The Budget Agreement today is so important for our great Military,&#8221; tweeted President Trump on Wednesday. &#8220;It ends the dangerous sequester and gives Secretary Mattis what he needs to keep America Great. Republicans and Democrats must support our troops and support this bill!&#8221;</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The passing of the bill is promising since a majority of Democrats and Republicans are in support of the legislation.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">&ldquo;I am pleased to announce that our bipartisan, bicameral negotiations on defense spending and other priorities have yielded a significant agreement,&rdquo; said Mitch McConnell, Senate Majority leader. &ldquo;I am confident no senator on either side of the aisle believes this is a perfect bill. But I&rsquo;m also confident that it is our best chance to begin rebuilding our military and make progress on issues directly affecting the American people.&rdquo;</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">&ldquo;We have reached a budget deal that neither side loves, but both sides can be proud of,&rdquo; said Chuck Schumer, Senate Democratic leader. ;</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">James Mattis, Defense Secretary praised the bill, as well.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">&ldquo;I&#8217;m heartened that Congress recognizes the sobering effect of budgetary uncertainty on America&#8217;s military and on the men and women who provide for our nation&#8217;s defense,&rdquo; said Mattis. ;</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">&ldquo;The bill removes automatic spending cuts &ndash; known as sequestration caps ;&ndash; for both defense and nondefense programs. The caps were put in place in 2011 as part of the Budget Control Act to lift the debt limit,&rdquo; writes <em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Fox News.</em> &ldquo;The deal would lift the debt limit and also includes disaster relief for hurricane-stricken areas as well as a four-year extension of the Children&#8217;s Health Insurance Program (CHIP).&rdquo; ;</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">&ldquo;It also includes a two-year reauthorization for community health centers, with $7 billion in total funding, and $6 billion to fight opioid addiction,&rdquo; writes <em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Hill.</em> &ldquo;Other funding priorities are $4 billion to rebuild veterans&rsquo; hospitals and clinics, $2 billion for research at the National Institutes of Health and $20 billion for infrastructure programs.&rdquo;</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The bill also includes $89.3 billion in disaster aid.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The bipartisan bill is expected to pass easily in the Senate, but <em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Politico</em> is reporting that in the House it may face some opposition.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Several Democrats are disappointed that it does not address immigration.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Specifically, the House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi is opposed to the proposal in support for Dreamers. After last month&rsquo;s government shutdown, four congressional leaders decided to separate the immigration debate from the budget bill in hopes of reaching an agreement sooner than later.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">&#8220;I&rsquo;m pleased with the product, I&rsquo;m not pleased with the process. I&rsquo;m just telling people why I&rsquo;m voting the way I&rsquo;m voting,&rdquo; said Pelosi. ;</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">She has made a call for House Speaker Paul Ryan to give the lawmakers a chance to weigh in on the DACA deal (a program Trump ended) that deports young undocumented immigrants, also known as dreamers.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">&#8220;I have unease with it and hope that the speaker will man up and decide that we in the House can also have what Mitch McConnell guaranteed in the Senate &ndash; a vote on the floor,&#8221; said Pelosi. &ldquo;Without a commitment from Speaker Ryan, comparable to the commitment from Leader McConnell, this package does not have my support.<span style="font-size: 13.5pt; font-family: Helvetica; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #2b2c30; background: white;">&rdquo;</span> ;</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">&ldquo;Speaker Ryan has already repeatedly stated we intend to do a DACA and immigration reform bill&mdash;one that the president supports,&rdquo; said AshLee Strong, a spokeswoman for Ryan.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Not to mention, some Republican Conservatives in the house have also shown some opposition to the budget bill due to the spike in government spending.  ;</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">&#8220;Military spending and defense spending is far above the president&#8217;s request,&#8221; said Sen. Bob Corker (R-Tenn.) &#8220;I&#8217;m all for ;supporting our military and I want to make sure they&#8217;re funded properly. It&#8217;s very difficult to have that big an increase ;in one year ;and then be able to use it wisely.&#8221; ;</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">&ldquo;This is a debt junkie&rsquo;s spending bill,&rdquo; said Rep. Mo Brooks (R., Ala.). ;</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">However, if this bill is ultimately passed then lawmakers can now focus on immigration and infrastructure deals and will no longer be dwelling on the budget debate.  ;</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><strong style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Author&rsquo;s note:</strong> Although this bill increases federal spending and debt ceilings which is worrisome, it&rsquo;s time for more bipartisan deals to be passed. We need to get things done. The immigration debate deserves its own discussion, especially because it&rsquo;s such a point of contention with today&rsquo;s lawmakers. Who knows how long it will take to reach an agreement that Dems will likely disapprove of anyways. ;</p>